American Studies (Literature)

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In the wake of the American Century, this is an exciting moment to be studying North America. To what extent will the US be forced to renegotiate political, financial and cultural relationships long characterised by dominance? How should the Obama Presidency be understood within the history of race relations and the struggle for civil rights? How will cultural responses to changing political, media, and built environments work within and against established forms and traditions?

The MA American Studies (Literature) combines an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary American studies approach with a focus on the analysis of various kinds of literary texts.

In the first semester a suite of core modules introduce postgraduate-level American studies, enabling students to survey and critically review the range of perspectives adopted and questions raised by American Studies in the Twentieth Century; explore the complex issues and methodological challenges demanded by Researching Contemporary America; and develop the Research Management and Personal Development Skills vital to postgraduate work.

Small group teaching with a focus on student-led discussion fosters a collegiate MA cohort encouraging intellectual exchange amongst a group of students with shared interests but with a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.

A suite of core modules taken by all MA students is the centrepiece of the degree. Offered in the first semester is Researching Contemporary America, which will introduce postgraduate-level American Studies through a study of key controversies in the study of the recent United States. Offered in the second semester is Approaches to American Studies, which will acquaint students with the development of scholarly methods, theories, and approaches in American Studies. Students will also develop the Research Management and Personal Development Skills vital to postgraduate work.

This course provides training in research skills, an introduction to representative American Studies approaches, and an examination of contemporary American culture.

Optional modules in semester two and a dissertation module will allow you to develop a disciplinary focus in American literature or to demonstrate your enhanced, interdisciplinary development.

Towards the end of the course, you will be expected to complete a dissertation. You will be able to refine your dissertation proposal during semester one before you are assigned a supervisor who is in a position to support your research and is familiar with your chosen specialism.

Modules offered during 2006/07 and 2007/08 include:
American Studies in the 20th Century; Researching Contemporary America, Research Management and Personal Development Skills, The Making of American Foreign Policy, Radical and Reform Movements in Modern America, Fictions of America, Queer Agency in North American Writing; Slavery, Capitalism and the Origins of the Civil War, Eisenhowers Presidency, US Soviet Relations 1917-1991, Gender and Sexuality in Recent Canadian Writing; American Sensations: Nineteenth Century Ante-Bellum Writing; Martin Luther King in Comparative Perspective; In the Midst of Wars: The US and S.E. Asia 1940 1968; African American Visual Cultures; First Nations Speak: Native Writing, Representing the South: Literature, Film and History; Living with the Bomb: Nuclear Weapons in American Cold War Strategy, Thought and Culture; Intellectuals and US Foreign Policy; Kennedy, Johnson and the Crisis of US Foreign Policy 1961-1968; Asian American Literature; American Crime Fiction; Irish America in Literature and Culture: A Special Relationship?; The Emergence of Mass Culture.

2.1(Upper 2nd class hons degree or international equivalent) Including: Arts/Humanities/Social Science IELTS: 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element) TOEFL IBT: 100 with no less than 21 in listening, 22 in reading, 23 in speaking and 21 in writing English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 75 (Grade B) TOEFL iBT® test: 100 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.